Turn-of-the-century Barcelona flourished, thanks to
the textile industry; the wealthy liked to be surrounded
by artists, intellectuals and famous people, and the
bourgeoisie enjoyed great prestige. This was a good
atmosphere for the young architect, who saw how numerous
doors were opened for him to carry out his projects. Anyway,
Gaudí never renounced contact with the less-favored working
classes from which he came. It is not surprising that his
first large project was workers' housing in a factory, the
Cooperativa Mataronense ("Mataró Cooperative"). The project
was intended to improve the workers' quality of life, but
Gaudí's project was ahead of its time (which was more conservative),
and only one section of the factory and a kiosk were built. The
architect was slightly disappointed, but the presentation
of his project at the Paris World Fair in 1878 meant the
beginning of his fame. There, he also presented a showcase
for pret-a-portier gloves from the shop of Esteban Comella, thanks to which
he met the man who would become one of his best friends and patrons,
Eusebi Güell.

After the World Fair, he decorated the Gibert pharmacy in Barcelona,
collaborated with the architect Martorell on various jobs, and designed
a shooting box for Eusebio Güell, although it was never built.
His relationship with Martorell allowed him to take over management
of what would become his monumental work: the Sagrada Familia. This
project was initially managed by Francisco de Paula del Villar, Gaudí's
former professor, who volunteered to carry out the ideas of Josep
Bocabella, founder of the "Association of Devotees of San José". Martorell
was part of the Temple Council. He disagreed with del Villar about
the materials that should be used to make the pillars and, when they
couldn't reach an agreement, del Villar stepped down. Bocabella
offered the position to Martorell, who, because of the situation,
did not accept, but proposed his young assistant, Gaudí, who was
immediately accepted.

In 1883, Gaudí officially took control of the project, and dedicated
43 years of his life to them.

That same year, he was asked by ceramic manufacturer Manuel Vicens to
build a house on Carrer de San Gervasi (now Carrer de les Carolines),
where the use of ceramics was unlimited, and details reminiscent of
autochthonous plants could be seen. He was also asked to build the
villa, "El Capricho," for the brother-in-law of the Marquee of Comillas.
Gaudí didn't directly oversee this project, delegating his work
to Cristofol Cascante, his colleague from the university, who
followed the plans and models provided him by Gaudí.

His next major projects were the Palau Güell (Güell Palace) and
the Palacio de Astorga (Astorga Palace). In the first, located on
Carrer Nou de la Rambla, in Barcelona, Güell trusted completely
in Gaudí's daring and innovative ideas, and was in awe of his
friend's genius. The second was an assignment by his friend,
the Bishop of Astorga, consisting of the construction of the Episcopal
Palace that had burned down. Gaudí enthusiastically requested
photographs and books to get acquainted with the site, and adapt
his project to its characteristics.

Some of Eusebi Güell's clients took advantage of Gaudí's presence
in Astorga to ask him to build a house on a central square in Leon.
The edifice, which was often criticized during construction for
appearing unstable, has a monumental and medieval appearance; it
is called the "Casa de los Botines."

While managing construction of the palaces, he built the Transatlantic
pavilion for the Barcelona World Fair in 1888, and received another
of his many religious projects, the School of the Theresians.

In 1898, the cornerstone was laid for the church of the Colonia Güell
(Güell Colony, a factory-town project), in Santa Coloma de Cervelló.
Only the crypt was built. This edifice stands out for its original
construction and the method used by Gaudí to design it: the catenary
model, consisting of a series of cords and small sacks weighted in
proportion to the arches and the weight they would have to
Gaudí never felt recognized by official organizations; the
City of Barcelona only assigned him to design the lampposts
in the Plaça Reial and the Plaça de Palau, and only once did he
receive the award to the Building of the Year, in 1900, for his
least extravagant building, the Casa Calvet. That same year he
started a project at the Figueras home, in Bellesguard, where
Gaudí carried out another project for a businessman, making it a
homage to the kings of the Middle Ages. He also began Park Güell
(Güell Park), which was first intended to be a garden-city, with
sixty homes for the upper middle-class, with various common
services. Park Güell could be considered an environmentally
sensitive development. Changes in the natural shape of the
land were avoided when laying out the streets; remains of broken
pieces from ceramic factories were used in the spectacular
mosaics; and felling of trees was absolutely forbidden.

En 1905, he moved with his father and niece to the park's model
home, built by Berenguer, his assistant. A few months later, his
father died. Then he put his niece in a boarding school, where she
died on January 11, 1912.

Between 1900 and 1914, Gaudí and his collaborators also worked on
the reforms of the Cathedral in Palma de Mallorca. This project was
focused on the Choir (to be moved to the presbytery), some stained-glass
windows, some side altars and the new location of the high altar,
among other things. Gaudí was removed from management of the project
before finishing, because the people considered his work a betrayal
of the church's original style.

But the most outstanding work initiated by Gaudí in 1904 was assigned
to him by Josep Batlló, for a house he owned on the Passeig de Gràcia
(an important avenue in Barcelona). It was to be an almost total
reformation of the building, in which the architect surprised everybody
with those balconies that seem to move, that large cross that
crowns the undulating roof, a fantastic interior patio and
original chimneys.

The one he surprised the most was Pere Milá, the member of the
Cortes (Spanish Parliament) who had recommended the brilliant
architect to Batlló. Along with his wife, from Reus, he decided
to commend him the construction of a new building on the same
Paseo, on the corner with Carrer de Provença, which would become
"La Pedrera." The City tried to stop this project on various
occasions because many of its constructed parts exceeded the
legal limits; Gaudí ignored them and continued with his work,
finishing the edifice in 1910.